I hereby promulgate the Law for the Establishment of the Coal Board.
Signed:HIROHITO, Seal of the Emperor
This tenth day of the fifth month of the twenty-third year of Showa (May 10, 1948)
Prime Minister ASHIDA Hitoshi
Law for the Establishment of the Coal Board
Article 1. The Coal Board shall be under the administration of the Minister of Commerce and Industry, and shall administer the affairs concerning production, distribution and consumption of coal, semi-coal, gas and coke and the affairs concerning the enforcement of the Temporary Goal Mining Control Law.
Article 2. In the Coal Board one Secretariat and the following six Bureaus shall be established:
The definite number of 1st class officials shall be ten.
Article 3. The Secretariat shall take charge of the affairs concerning the matters of personnel, accounting and general affairs and matters which are not taken charge of by any of the Bureaus.
Article 4. The Control Bureau shall take charge of the following affairs:
1. Matters concerning the general enforcement of the Temporary Coal Mining Control Law;
2. Matters concerning the management of coal, semi-coal, gas and coke;
3. Matters concerning the investigation and the statistics of coal, semi-coal, gas and coke.
Article 5. The Production Bureau shall take charge of the following affairs:
1. Matters concerning the production of coal;
2. Matters concerning the preservation of safety and the technical guidance of coal mining;
3. Matters concerning the improvement of the quality of coal;
4. Matters concerning coal mine laborers, excluding the matters under the jurisdiction of other Ministries according to the law.
Article 6. The Development Bureau shall take charge of the affairs concerning the development of coal and semi-coal.
Article 7. The Material Bureau shall take charge of the affairs concerning the materials used in connection with coal excepting the materials which are taken charge of by other Bureaus.
Article 8. The Coal Distribution Bureau shall take charge of the following affairs:
1. Matters concerning the execution of the distribution plan of coal;
2. Matters concerning the general enforcement of the Solid-fuel Distribution Kodan Law;
3. Matters concerning the efficient use of coal and semi-coal;
4. Matters concerning production, distribution and consumption of gas and coke;
5. Matters concerning the enforcement of the Gas Enterprise Law.
Article 9. The Semi-Coal Bureau shall take charge of the affairs concerning semi-coal and processed semicoal, excepting those which are taken charge of by other Bureaus.
Article 10. The necessary matters concerning the personnel of the Coal Board and the external organs not provided in this Law, shall be provided by Cabinet Order, and the necessary matters concerning the Section of the Secretariat and each Bureau shall be determined by the Minister of Commerce and Industry.
The Minister of Commerce and Industry may, when he deems it specially necessary, change temporarily a part of the affairs assigned to the Bureaus, notwithstanding the provisions of Article 3 to the preceding Article.
Supplementary Provisions:
The date of the enforcement of this Law shall be prescribed by Cabinet Order not later than 30 days from its promulgation.
The Regulations governing the Organization of the Coal Board shall be abolished.